Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-06-11
Mr.. AND MRS. eOwSER.
BY MRS BOwSEK-

entered the house the other dav.
"You--you cant mean it,
Mrs. Bowser, when say I'm going
TO have garden l don't want to be un-
derstood as meaning that I'm going to
have a brick-yard.
But you remember last yearT"
Certainly. | remember last year.
What of ftp set out to make 4 gar
den. and you and the dog and the
neighbor's hens and hsilstorm and
the bugs beat me out of it.
We'll, of course. you will do rs you
think best, but I'm sorry TO see ihe
ward all torn up for nothing"
For nothing! That's just like youl
No matter what enterprise have on
hand you always try to discourage me.
You are q nice help-meet, you are!
might as we'll fold my hands and sit
down and wait for the poor house.
shall begin on the garden tomorrow"
year ago he came rushing into the
house one spring day with some seeds
which some one had given him, and an
nounced that he was going to have
garden. Most of our back yard Is in
the shade, and no one Of sense would
expect anything 10 grow there, but MIR.
Bowser had it spaded up and made into
beds, and his enthusiasm was wonder
fui.
Don't want q garden, chr he
chuckled rs he brought me to the back
door to survey the beds. Doesn't this
remind you Of old times on the farm?"
Yes. but I'm afraid the soil will be
too cold"
"Oh, you arei Perhaps you have
been reading up on soils. and are pre-
pairing u series of articles for some agri-
cultural paper! You can 20 in aud at
tend to your rick-rack."
But you can warm the soil BY run
ming steam pipes under it. and don't
think the cost would be over s1,50G
If 1 hadn't shut the door think Mr.
Bowser would have hurled the spade at
me in his sudden anger. but after
few minutes reflection he began messur-
ing back and forth and sticking stakes
and he afterwards acknowledged to-
me in burst of confidence that he in
tended to try hot bricks at five feet
apart He made \ list OF the stuff he
put in the ground. There were pump
kin. squash. cucumber. watermelon
cantelope, and turnip seeds, aud he pus
in some seed onions, made a bed Of let-
tuce, and his work was done for time
He had broken three pairs of suspend
ers beyond repair. spoiled two pairs ut
pantaloons, ripped three shirts douri
the back and lost q $40 gold piece in
the dirt, but he was happy and enthu-
siastic.
.'Just think. Mrs. Bowser." he ex-
claimed as he waved his hand over his
garden. ''of walking out and culling
your own vegetables. grown on your
own land, and covered with the dews
fresh from Heavenr'
"And covered with our own worms
and6ugs. I suppose?"
There you are! You'd die il you
couldn't say something mean! used
to wonder why some families didn't get
along any better. but now see Through
the mystery"
HAS anything sprouted yetr'
'.None of your business! Don't you
dare to even look over my garden! II
raise so, 700 big. luscious melons, you
The next week he brought home two
dozen tomato plants and set them out.
While he was down town went out to
look at them. and when he returned I
asked him if he was certain they were
tomato plants.
"Am certain that I am alive this
moment!' he roared Perhaps / have
travelled this country from Maine 70
Texas to be taken in bv farmerv'
well, hope they'll turn out to be
tomato plants. but they look to mo
"Bosh! Most anything looks queer
to q cross-eyed womanr"
am satisfied that Mr.. Bowser used
seeds enough on that garden to plant
five deep. Whatever he could hear OF
ne got, and whatever he brought home
went into the ground before he could
rest. His tomato plants diden't do
well. They got liver complaint and
turned yellow, and they got malaria
and shivered all day long and one after
noon he brought friend up to SEQ
what allied them. The man pulled up
one by the roots, put it to his nose for
a second, and then laughed:
''Bowser that's q potato-stalk or TIM
foolr'
MOI
.'Well it is. and you might ss we'll
pull up and throw the others awayp
heard it all but never let on. In June
some of the things began TO sprout,
and our garden was the talk Of the
neighborhOod. There were wheat,
oats. lettuce barley. clover. onions.
broom-corn, water-melons, pig-weeds
and beets all coming up together, and
men hung over the fence and laughed
till they cried. Mr.. Bowser treated
the subject with such a lofty air that
asked no questions, but one day when
had been over TO mothers returned
TO find the garden gone and the sods
restored
Wasn't it a success darlingP"
asked that evening.
Wasn't what a successg'
The garden, of course"
Gould garden be q success With
people throwing hot-water and hair
oil bottles and old shoes at every sprout
that showed its head above ground.
Mrs. Bowser. you were maliciously de-
termined that I should not have .
garden. and you've triumphed for the
hour. but beware! It's q long road
that has no turn"'-Detroit Fress Press.
A Heart Worth Winning.
''And do you love me 50 devotedly.